ß-Thalassaemia and its Co-existence with Haemoglobin E and Haemoglobin S in Upper Assam Region of North Eastern India: A Hospital Based Study.

INTRODUCTION: ß-Thalassaemias are common genetic disorders in the Indian subcontinent and its status has not been well studied in the Upper Assam region of North Eastern India. AIM: The aim of the study was to show the prevalence of ß- thalassaemias and its co-existence with Haemoglobin E and Haemoglobin S in the Upper Assam region of North Eastern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1200 anaemic patients were investigated for ß- thalassaemias. Complete Blood Count (CBC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) were done for screening. RESULTS: Out of 1200 patients screened, 5.83% ß-thalassaemia trait, 2.33% compound Hb E/ß-Thalassaemia, 1.33% ß-thalassaemia major and 0.42% compound Hb S/ß- thalassaemia were detected. A high incidence of thalassaemia is found among the people of Upper Assam region of North Eastern India. CONCLUSION: The only way to prevent the disease is carrier detection and awareness among the people about it.

Haemoglobinopathies and ß-Thalassaemia among the Tribals Working in the Tea Gardens of Assam, India.

INTRODUCTION: Prevalence of haemoglobinopathies and ß-thalassaemia are very high in India but information about its status among the tribals working in the tea gardens of Assam is very less. AIM: The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of haemoglobinopathies and ß-thalassaemia among the tribals working in the tea gardens of Assam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total 1204 samples from the tribals working in tea gardens of Assam were analysed for both Complete Blood Count (CBC) and High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for detection of haemoglobinopathies and ß-thalassaemia. RESULTS: This study showed that the prevalence of sickle cell anaemia and ß-thalassaemia were very high among this population. Our results indicated a higher prevalence of ß-thalassaemia (3.07%) among the Munda ethnic group and higher prevalence of sickle cell anaemia (4.73%) among the Lohar ethnic group. This was the first study to report the presence of HbE among the tribals working in the tea gardens of Assam. CONCLUSION: Based on the present findings, sickle cell anaemia and ß-thalassaemia were major health problem for the tribals working in the tea gardens of Assam. Proper diagnostic facilities for haemoglobinopathy and thalassaemia should be established in these areas, including establishment of haemoglobinopathy and thalassaemia database collection, haematological analysis laboratories, genetic counselling clinics, prenatal diagnosis centres and neonatal screening centres.

Active detection of tuberculosis and paragonimiasis in the remote areas in North-Eastern India using cough as a simple indicator.

One of the essential steps in targeting tuberculosis (TB) intervention is early diagnosis and treatment of patients by reducing the reservoir of infection in the community. In the North-Eastern (NE) region of India pulmonary TB and paragonimiasis are overlapping public health issues. We performed a cross-sectional study in 63 remote villages from the two states Arunachal Pradesh (AP) and Assam to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed TB and paragonimiasis cases using cough as a simple indicator. In AP, 2961 individuals aged five years and above were examined and 1108 (37·4%) were found to have cough for one week or more. Of the 417 individuals who provided sputum, 11 (2·64%) were smear positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). All these cases were yet undiagnosed, thus the prevalence of new smear positive TB in AP was 0·37%. In Assam on the other hand 331 (23·5%) subjects out of 1410 individuals who were examined had a cough for one week or more and of the 112 individuals who provided sputum, 13 (11·6%) were smear positive for AFB. The prevalence of new smear positive TB cases was 0·78% in Assam. Sero-positivity of paragonimiasis in coughers of AP was 7·6% (n = 1091), which was significantly higher (p < 0·01) as compared to that in Assam (1·2%, n = 321). The findings of the present study suggest that TB remains a major public health concern in the NE region of India especially in the remote places and there is need to strengthen early case detection of TB.